May 31, 2017

Statement from Mayor Emanuel on Paris Agreement

Mayor's Press Office    312.744.3334

“Reports that President Trump is ready to withdraw the United States from the Paris Agreement are alarming. We cannot afford to ignore the consensus of 194 countries and the entire scientific community. Reneging on the Paris Agreement is shortsighted and does not make climate change any less real. From reducing our energy use to expanding public transit, Chicago will not skirt our responsibility to act. We will work with cities around the country to reduce our emissions in accordance with the Paris Agreement, and urge President Trump to keep our nation’s commitment as well.”

Background:

  • Earlier this month Mayor Emanuel announced the creation of a City of Chicago “Climate Change is Real” website, putting information from the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency’s (EPA) Climate Change Website on the City of Chicago’s servers after the Trump administration unceremoniously removed it from the federal government’s websites on April 29. The information can be found at www.cityofchicago.org/climatechangeisreal.
  • In January, Mayor Emanuel announced that Chicago has reduced its carbon emissions by seven percent from 2010 to 2015 all while the region’s economy grew 12 percent. The emissions reduction, equivalent to shutting down a coal power plant for eight months, compares to a one percent increase in nationwide emissions from 2009 to 2014.
  • On April 9, the Mayor announced that by 2025 all of Chicago’s public buildings will be powered by 100 percent renewable energy. That transition means 1.8 billion kilowatt hours will come from clean and renewable sources. This follows the 2013 commitment that the City made to eliminating coal from its electricity supply. 
  • On April 26, the City of Chicago was awarded the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency 2017 ENERGY STAR Partner of the Year Award. The award recognized the Retrofit Chicago Energy Challenge and its 76 member buildings covering 51.3 million square feet-all of which have committed to reducing their energy use by 20 percent.
  • In March, the Mayor announced that the Smart Lighting Project will start on the South and West Sides this summer. The project will replace 270,000 of Chicago’s light fixtures and add a management system that will give the city a state-of-the-art smart lighting grid.
  • Since implementation of the City’s check-out bag tax in February, residents have reduced their plastic bag use by 42 percent.

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